Apparatus for receiving and delivering mail.



. T. J. MOODY. Prunus ron Bnomvma ND nmvnnma nu.; V

AQPLIO'ATIOI FILED lAlLl, 1900. '927,268'.` Patented July 6,1909.

2 IIEETPBIBET 1.

T. J. MOODY. APPARATUS FOB RECEIVING AND DELIVEBING MAIL. APBLIomIon Hmm umu, 1909.

#927,268. PatentedJuly 6, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET `2.

` y attenua 1 wir" @ma UNITED sTATEs PATENT OEEicE.

THOMAS .'I. MOODY, OF PETERSBURG, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR Ol1 ONE-HALF TO .IUNIAL D.

IIAVENS, OF PETERSBURG, ILLINOIS.

APPARATUS FOR RECEIVING AND DELIVERING MAIL.

To all wil/om it may concern:

Be it known. that I, THOMAS J. MOODY, a citizen of the United. States, residing at Petersburg, in the county of Menardand State of Illinois, have invented. a new and useful Apparatus for teceiving and Delivering Mail, of whiclii the following is a speci Yfication- This invention relates to apparatus for receiving and delivering mail, the same being of that type used for eifecting the inter change of mail between a station and moving cars.

The object of the invention is to provide apparatus of novel construction for use upon a mail car, said apparatus being so mounted as to be readily shiftable into position beyond either side of the car, so as to collect mail from stations along both sides of the track.

A further object is to provide shiftable mechanism of this character which can. be readily in:t1ii} nilated, means being employed for locking the mechanism into any position to which it may be shifted..

A further object is to provide improved means for supporting a mail-bag or pouch from the mechanism, said means being of such character as to permit the pouch to be positively delivered to a receiving crane or the like and without danger of being dropped to the ground and dragged beneath the wheels ol a car.

A still further obj ect is to provide a novel form of crane for use in connection with. the apparatus upon the car, said crane being located adjacent the track and readily shiftable into or out of operative position.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings z-Figure l is a perspective view of the complete apparatus, the car structure being broken away and the mail-bags or pouches being shown suspend ed in position immediately prior to the interchange of mail. Fig. 2 is a view, partly in side elevation and partly in section, of a portion of the track and of the carriage mounted. thereon. Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on line A-B Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a side eleva- Specicaton of `Letters Patent.

Application led March 31, 1909.

Patented July G, 1909.

Serial No. 486,946.

tion of the crane and with its arms swung out of normal position. Fig. 5 is a perspeetive view of the upper end portion of one of the arms of either the 'hired crane or the crane carried by the car. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a portion of the bag-carrying frame and showing the loch mounted thereon, a portion ofv the holding plate being broken away.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference A designates a car structure of the ordinary or any preferred type, the saine being provided with oppositely disposed door openings a. Secured to the car struc ture A and above each of these door openings is a bracket l having arms 2 extending in opposite directions therefrom and bolted or otherwise fastened to the structure A. The upper portions of the two braclsets l are connected by means of a locking bar 3, which is provided at its center and adjacent each end with a notch 4. The lower portions of the brackets l are connected by parallel rails 5, on which is mounted. a carriage (S. This carriage is of any suitable construction and has supporting rollers 7 journaled there in and designed to travel along the two rails 5, there being stem 8 slidably mounted within the middle portion of the carriage and extending therebelow, the lower end of said stein having a grip 9 whereby it can be read ily manipulated by a person within the car. The upper end of the stem is provided with a head 1() carrying a yoke Il. which., as indicated. in Figs. l and 3, embraces the locking bar 3 and carries a transverse locking pin 1.2 designed to be seated in any one of the notches 4. A spring I3 is arranged within the carriage and bears at its ends against the bottom of the carriage and against the head. 10 respectively, so as to hold the head normally pressed upwardly and thus insure the automatic seating of the pin l2 within any one of the notches 4 as soon as said pin assumes a position. below the notch.

The carriage 6 and the parts connected thereto constitute the body portion of a crane designed to be shifted from one side to the other of the car structure A. EX.- tending in opposite directions from the carriage 6 and movable therewith are pairs of arms 14, the ends of which diverge as indicated at 15 and also incline upwardly as especially shown in Fig. The upper .tace of the terminal portion of each of these arms IOO 14 has an elongated recess 16 therein and another recess 17 is formed in the outer face of the terminal portion of the arm and directly below the recess 16, those ends of the recesses nearest the free ends of the arms being beveled as clearly indicated in Fig. 5.

The stationary crane used at the side of the track for collecting mail from and delivering it to the moving car, is of special construction and consists of a standard 18 having a longitudinal recess 19 in one face thereof and within which is pivotally mounted a stem 20. Upwardly diverging arms 21 are fixedly secured to and extend from the stem, the upper ends of said arms being extended in opposite directions as shown at 22 and provided with recesses similar to these shown in Fig. 5.

In order to properly support a mail bag or sack` from either of the cranes herein described it is necessary to utilize a special form of frame 23. As shown in the drawings, this frame is preferably substantially segmental in form, the curved side being provided with a U-shaped bracket 24 which is inverted and designed to fit within one of the recesses 16, there being a spring 25 se* cured to one face of the bracket and provided with a head 26. This head extends loosely through an aperture within the bracket and is designed. to be seated within the recess 17 adjoining the recess 16 in which the bracket is seated. A ring 27 is swiveled upon the frame adjacent the lower end of the curved side thereof and this ring is designed to be engaged by a snap hook or the like extending from the pouch or sack B.

When it is desired to effect interchange of mail by means of the apparatus herein described the arms 21 of the fixed crane are swung upwardly so that the oppositely extending terminal portions thereof will be supported close to the path of the car. The arms can be locked in this position by inserting a locking pin 28 into the standard 1S and back of the stem 20, as shown in Fig. 1. The bracket 24 of a frame 23 is then placed over the upper portion of that arm extending in the direction of movement of the car and, by pulling this bracket 24 downwardly into the groove or recess 16 the locking head 26 carried thereby will spring into the notch or recess 17 and thus hold the frame against accidental displacement. The mail-bag or sack to be delivered to the car can then be suspended from the swiveled ring 27 of the frame.

Before the car reaches the point where the mail is to be delivered a frame 23 is placed upon the arm 14 extending in the direction opposite to that in which the car is moving and which is at the side of the car adjacent which the stationary crane is located. The frame is locked to the arm in the same manner as heretofore described and the mailbag or sack to be delivered is suspended from the ring 27 of the frame. The operator then pulls downwardly on the grip 9 so as to place the spring 18 under stress and withdraw the pin 12 from the notch 4 in which it is seated. By pulling the grip 9 in the proper direction the entire crane can be shifted along the rails 5 until the arm carrying the frame 23 is projected through one of the door openings c. Upon releasing the grip 9 the spring 13 will return the locking pin 12 to the recess disposed thereabove and the crane will thus be securely held projected beyond the car. As the car passes the fixed crane the nearest arm 21 of said 'fixed crane will pass into the frame 23 supported by the crane on the car and will pull said frame off of the arm 14, this being permitted in view of the fact that those ends of the recesses 14 and 17 against which the bracket 24 and the locking head 26 are forced, are beveled. As soon as the frame 23 is removed from the arm 14 in this manner it will drop on to the upper end of the arm 21 engaging it and will then slide downwardly along said arm and on to the lower portion of the fixed crane, the bar sack B of course moving with it. or immediately subsequent to this ope the forwardly extending arm 14 of theon the car passes into the frame 2? whi'c.

supported. by the hxed crane. Said frame will thus be pushed olf of the fixed crane and be supported by the end 15 of arm 1,4, and can therefore be drawn into the car when the operator unlocks the carriage 6 and draws it to the center of the bar 3.

It will be seen that by providing apparatus such as herein described mail can be collected from points at both sides of the track and the movable crane within the car can be readily shifted beyond either of the doors of the car and securely locked. After the mail has been delivered from the fixed crane the arm 21 can be swung backwardly as indicated in Fig. 4, so that there will be no danger of injury to cars or passengers passing the station.

Obviously various changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit or sacrificing the advantages of the invention.

What is claimed is 1. In apparatus of the class described the combination with a car structure having opposed door openings, of a crane within the car structure and mounted for movement beyond either door opening, and means for automatically locking the crane in position beyond either of or at a point between the door openings.

2. The combination with a car structure having opposed door openings, of a crane mounted for movement between and beyond the door openings, and cppositely extending bag-supporting arms at each end of the crane and movable therewith.

3. The combination with a car structure having opposed door openings, ol. a crane mounted for movement between the door openings, said crane including oppositely extending bag-supporting arms at each end thereof and movable beyond the door openings. y

4. In apparatus of the class described a car structure having opposed door openings, a crane mounted for movement within the structure and including oppositely extending arms at each end thereof, said crane being movable within the structure to position the arms between or within either of the door openings, and means for automatically lecking the crane against movement.

5. The combination with a car structure having opposed door openings, of a rail between said openings, a carriage mounted to travel thereon, and diverging arms extending from each end of the carriage and shiftable through the door openings, each arm constin tuting bag-supporting means.

6. The combination with a car structure having opposed door openings, ol" a rail arranged Within the structure and between the openings, a iixed locking member parallel with the rail, a carriage mounted to travel upon the rail, diverging bag-supporting arms at each. end of the carriage and movable therewith, and means upon the carriage and cooperating with the ixed locking member for securing the carriage and arms against movement within the ear structure.

7. The combination with a ear structure having opposed door openings, of a rail within the structure and between said openings, a iixed locking member, a carriage mounted for movement upon the rail, diver-ging bagsupporting members at each end of the carriage and movable therewith, said carriage being movable to position said members between or beyond the door openings, and means carried by the carriage and coperating with the fixed locking member for holding the carriage and supporting members in any ol such positions.

S. The combination with a ear structure having opposed door openings, of rails interposed between the openings, a fixed locking member within the car structure and parallel with the rails, a carriage mounted for travel upon the rails, a locking device movable therewith and cooperating with the iixed locking member to hold the carriage against movement, and diverging bag-supporting members extending from each end ofthe carriage and movable into the respective door openings.

9. The combination with a car structure having opposed door openings, of rails interposed between the openings, a locking bar parallel with said rails and fixed with relation thereto, a carriage mounted 'lor movement upon the rails, movable locking means upon the carriage for engaging the bar to hold the carriage against movement, and di verging bag-supporting members at each end of the carriage and movable therewith.

10. The combination with a car structure having opposed door openings, of rails interposed between the openings, a locking bar parallel with and iixed with relation to the rails, a carriage mounted to travel upon the rails, diverging bag-supporting members at each en d oi the carriage and movable therewith, and means l'or unlocking the carriage and shifting it longitudinally ol the rails to project beyond either end of the carriage through and beyond one of the door openings.

11. The combination with a car structure having opposed door openings, of rails interposed between the openings, a locking bar parallel with and iixed with relation to the rails, a carriage mounted to travel upon the rails, oppositely extending bag-supporting members at each end oi the carriage and movable therewith, and movable means within the carriage lor shifting said carriage longitudinally of the rails to bring the members at each end thereof in position within or beyond one oi'A the door openings, said means when released co erating with the locking bar to secure the carriage against movement.

12,. In apparatus of the class described a crane including diverging arms each having recesses in the terminal portion, a bag-holding frame insertible into one of the recesses in either arm, and a locking device carried by said frame for engaging the other recess of said arm, one wall el each recess being beveled to facilitate the removal of the frame in the direction of the length olE the arm.

13. In apparatus of the class described a crane having diverging arms movable into or out oi operative position, means for locking the arms in either of said positions, each arm having recesses in its terminal portion, and a bag-carrying frame insertible into one of the recesses, and means carried by said frame for engaging the other recess to lock the frame against accidental displacement upon the arm.

14;. In apparatus of the class described the combination with a supporting arm having recesses therein, oi a bag-carrying lrame, a bracket therein disposed to be seated within one of the recesses, and means carried by the bracket for engaging the other recess.

15. ln apparatus of the class described the combination with a supporting arm having recesses therein, of a frame, a bracket thereon disposed to be seated within one ofthe recesses, and spring-controlled locking means carried by the bracket for engaging the other recess.

16. The combination with car structure having opposed door openings, oi rails interposed between the openings, a relatively ixed locking bar parallel with the rails and having` notches therein, L Carriage mounted In testimony that I claim the foregoing its. to travel upon the rails, spring-pressed means my own, I have hereto aihXed my signature 10 upon the ceri-lage for automatically engaging in the presence of two witnesses.

any one of the notched portions of the look- Q Y T ing bei', and oppositely extending bag-sup THOMAS J' MOODX' porting zii-ms :Lt eaeh end of the carriage and Witnesses:

movable therewith into position between or JAMES MANLEY,

within eitheil of the door openings. D. L. BENNETT. 

